This invention relates to manipulating rod-like articles such as slender cylindrical articles such as cigarettes and filter stubs, and particularly for handling such articles for transportation between various production operations.
In certain production operations, the articles are made or worked on at various stations which operate at different speeds and are remote from each other. For convenience, the invention will be discussed in particular with reference to the manipulation and handling of cigarettes or filter stubs for use in the manufacture of cigarettes, but it will be understood that the principles of the invention are equally applicable for the handling of other rod-like articles.
In the manufacture of cigarettes, the rod-like articles such as the filter stubs may be manufactured at one location, the filter rod maker and both transferred, re-arranged and changed to a different speed before arriving at a further production station such as a cigarette filter tipper. Moreover, the two production stations may be operated at different times and and/or different capacities.
Thus, an arrangement must be provided for transfering the filter stubs between production stations, which arrangement should preferably or necessarily include not only means for changing the speed and arrangement of the articles, but also means for storing the articles between the stations.
Various arrangements have of course been known heretofore for transporting and re-arranging rod-like articles such as cigarettes or cigarette filter stubs between production stations. However, these arrangements have either been relatively large or complicated or they have been specifically intentioned to function in conjunction with a specific arrangement of production stations.
Thus, as arrangements of production stations are continuously changed, there exists a continuing need for new and improved rod-like article manipulating and transferring arrangements to function efficiently in conjunction with such new arrangements of production stations.
Further there exists a continuing need for new and improved arrangements for handling rod-like articles, which arrangements are more simplified, more compact and/or more efficient than arrangements known heretofore.